It was another afternoon of capital punishment for Dungannon Swifts as an Aaron Burns hat-trick saw Linfield cruise to a comfortable victory.
The Blues maintained their stranglehold at the top of the league with a 20th win of the campaign – but Rodney McAree will be sorely disappointed at his side’s lacklustre performance.
Windsor Park is not an easy venue and this was hardly a fixture McAree would have expected to profit from, with Linfield dropping just four points in 11 home matches this season.
Yet he would have hoped for more fight and effort from his side, who never looked like coming back once Burns broke the deadlock after 32 minutes.
It was a goal which summed up Swifts’ careless performance, with the midfielder allowed to drift unchallenged past three players before coolly finding the net.
Burns then added another two in the second half – a close-range finish followed by a classy third – to keep the Blues well on track for another title.
Meanwhile, Dungannon’s priority is simply to stay in the division.
Two of their three main relegation rivals lost at the weekend – only Carrick Rangers secured a point – so this defeat was not as costly as it could have been.
But all three are in action before Swifts’ next game against Crusaders tomorrow week, and by that stage they could conceivably be bottom of the table.
The turning point in this game perhaps came not when Linfield scored, but the injury to Stefan Lavery which forced the teenager off late in the first half.
Lavery’s pace had been a real threat, an example coming inside five minutes when he seared past veteran Linfield defender William Murphy.
But the 18-year-old, one of two additions to the side which faced Larne in the cup, exited Windsor Park on crutches after being on the wrong end of a crunching tackle.
Without him Swifts’ attack just didn’t carry the same pace or threat.
By contrast Linfield looked dangerous when they found a way through the visitors’ packed midfield.
Burns drew the first save from Niall Morgan after 10 minutes via a superb free-kick, with the goalkeeper pushing the ball away from the top corner.
Soon afterwards Albert Watson played a back pass straight to Dungannon midfielder Michael McKerr. Unfortunately the angle was tight and he couldn’t manage a shot on target.
Linfield again threatened midway through the half after Robert Garrett slipped a great ball through to Burns, and he drew another fine stop from Morgan.
A free-kick from Sean Friars sailed over the home crossbar, before Johnny Topley came to Swifts’ rescue when he deflected Murphy’s header clear of danger.
However, the pressure was growing and on 32 minutes the Blues broke through.
A dashing run from Burns saw him cut through midfield, beating a series of Dungannon players before planting a right-foot strike past the ‘keeper.
And it almost got worse minutes later. A free-kick found Philip Lowry and his shot was blocked by Morgan, with Michael Carvill’s follow-up hitting the upright.
The Linfield pressure continued in the second half, and Burns made it 2-0 after 54 minutes.
Unlike his first, it was a simple finish, with the teenager perfectly placed in the box to sweep Carvill’s square pass beyond a helpless Morgan.
The game was slipping from Dungannon, and Burns could have sealed his treble two minutes later.
A mix-up in the visitors’ back line allowed Garrett through. After being forced wide he set up Burns, but his shot was deflected over by Ryan O’Neill.
Dungannon’s only attempt on goal came via Topley, whose 25-yard effort was easily saved.
And the Blues ensured there would be no comeback with a third goal in the 69th minute.
Jamie Mulgrew played the ball through for Burns, who beat the offside trap and broke clear before steering a low strike just inside the far post.
LINFIELD: Blayney, Douglas, Murphy, Lowry, Thompson (Fordyce, 80), Carvill (Browne, 82), BJ Burns, A Burns, Garrett, Mulgrew (Casement, 75), Watson
Subs not used: Armstrong, Addis
DGN SWIFTS: Morgan, O’Neill, Montgomery (L Donnelly, 80), Gallagher, McClean, Harpur, S Friars, S Lavery (Campbell, 38), Fitzpatrick, Topley, McKerr (Funston, 64)
Subs not used: Murphy, McMinn
Referee: Brian Turkington (Belfast)